


Armistice

by quoththegayven



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming, Canon-typical swearing, Gen, Podfic, Podfic & Podficced Works, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, chapter one is the written text of the fic, chapter two is the podded version!, post-Story and Song, two hurt people start the healing process
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:28:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28463139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quoththegayven/pseuds/quoththegayven
Summary: Armistice:a temporary suspension of hostilities by agreement of the warring parties; a truce.Lucretia had unnumbered excuses she could pile on the table in a messy deluge. No doubt Taako had more pent-up anger he could be doing the same with. They were both making sacrifices, for whatever fucking reason.Written usingPodfIDIC seed script #1for Voiceteam Mystery Box 2020!
Relationships: The Director | Lucretia & Taako
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9
Collections: Voiceteam Mystery Box 2020, podfIDIC: Seed 1





	1. Armistice

Lucretia accepted the mug of tea and raised it steaming to her lips.

It was her first hot-drinks date with Taako since they'd...well, 'made up' was a little dramatic, maybe. It was an uneasy truce if anything. Taako had approached her at the reception post-Angus's cello recital (the kid was getting pretty good, 10/10 would listen again) and stumbled through a jumbled collection of platitudes. He had been very taciturn during the whole thing. The invitation to get, quote, 'coffee or whatever' had seemed more like a stunt Lup or Magnus put him up to than a step he'd really wanted to take. 

It had been easier to make up with Lup and Magnus.

Nevertheless, here they were, in a diner with sticky booths and real (if mismatched) cups instead of to-go ones and not enough napkins and strange greasy smells permeating the air. Not a place where one might expect to meet two of the most powerful wizards in the multiverse. Then again, maybe it was meant to make the playing field more fair.

The tea was hot and tingly on her tongue, with a telltale flavor that she hadn't tasted in...well, a long fucking time. She could practically feel herself flash back to the fortieth cycle of the Century; bitter cold nights, that cabin she and the twins had stayed in while doing research, and pots and pots of a very specific tea. "Evergreen," she said. "That's an unusual choice."

Taako raised a single eyebrow. It disappeared behind the brim of his hat. "Thought you might notice."

The expression on his face was something like pride. For a moment it seemed like he might say something else, but then apparently he thought better of it and returned his gaze to his own whipped-cream-covered chocolate monstrosity.

"I had almost forgotten about that cycle," Lucretia continued. "I think at the time, it felt like one of the toughest ones. Cut off from the others, too cold to leave. No idea where the Light of Creation was or if anyone else was having any luck. _We_ were lucky to have the supplies we did - but then, you and Lup were so resourceful, it almost didn't matter."

She was rambling, and she could feel it. But what else was she supposed to talk about? In the past, even once they'd been close, Taako had always been more talkative than her. More animated, too, hands punctuating everything he said and mouth twisted into that easy, wry smile. He was a machine of perpetual motion once. Now, he only trained his eyes on the window and watched tiny flakes of snow drift aimlessly into the glass.

Lucretia's hands (she was used to their shape by now, skin and bone and wrinkles, but still avoided thinking about the theoretical solutions out of - something, some possibly misguided attempt at martyrdom no one asked for) tightened around her mug.

"The way you two took care of me then," she said, choosing to watch Taako's transparent reflection in the glass rather than try to meet his real eyes. "Both of you. It was extremely important to me. I hope you know that, Taako. I know...things have gotten - gotten difficult between us, and I shouldn't have-"

He didn't even turn his head, but the ice in his tone was unmistakable. " _Careful._ "

She wasn't even sure where she was going with that sentence next, but any potential it might have had immediately curled up and died in her mouth. Shit on a stick. If Taako got upset, it was perfectly within his right to just get up and leave, considering...well, everything. There were two people in the world that she couldn't ever fully make up for her actions against and one of them was sitting across from her with his ears pinned firmly back against his head, a clear display of tension. 

Lucretia had unnumbered excuses she could pile on the table in a messy deluge. No doubt Taako had more pent-up anger he could be doing the same with. They were both making sacrifices, for whatever fucking reason.

(No clue whatsoever what his reason was. But she wasn't complaining. It was more than she'd ever expected from him, ever.)

She picked up the mug again and took another sip of tea. It made her lips prickle. "Mmm."

Taako's eyes flicked up to meet her reflection's. He was still wary, hands wrapped around his forearms in a protective hug. For a moment they just stared at each other through the safety of the white-flecked glass.

"Tastes kind of like Candlenights' asshole," Lucretia said. "The tea."

For the first time in years, in her presence, the corners of Taako's mouth twitched slightly upward. He jerked his head toward the somewhat straggly holiday garlands tangled around the diner bar behind them. "Yeah. I thought it was, uh, appropriate, given the circumstances."

Lucretia smiled too.

Until things were better, and they were ready to talk about the real shit roiling under the surface - this would work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, thanks for reading! While I used a seed script to write this fic, it's still the first thing I've written alone in a very long time and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, so I hope you like it too. Shoutout to the about 4 friends I had unofficially beta this, your supportive comments and ideas really helped!
> 
> Chapter 1 of this fic obviously has the written text, while Chapter 2 has the audio, as well as a truly beautiful cover made by my teammate LittleRedRobinHood. Be sure to look and listen if you get the chance!


	2. Armistice [Podfic]

  
_cover art by[LittleRedRobinHood](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRedRobinHood/pseuds/LittleRedRobinHood)_  


**Length:** 6:54

**File Size:** 7.29 MB

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and listening! If you enjoyed it, please let me know what you think with a comment or a kudos, they really mean a lot!


End file.
